Page 65 - Biblical Backgrounds student textbook

3. The student should be able to describe how specific life experiences of the Jews in Babylon impacted
their way of life in the latter stages of their captivity.

4. The student should be able to describe how the Babylonian environment and the Jewish experiences
there inform the meaning of the scriptures written in that time or for that time.

4. The student should be able to conceptualize and explain God’s preservation and preparation of his
people in exile.
10.3 Location and history

Babylon (Chaldea) is known to have been in existence even by the time of the Jewish
patriarchs such as Abraham (2000 BCE).
Notably, its sixth ruler, Hammurabi
(1792-1750 BCE), is widely considered a
contemporary of Abraham. It was known
as the political seat of southern Mesopotamia; the
region of Babylonia was referred to as “the land of
the Chaldeans” (Jer. 24:5; Ezek. 12:13). It is an
extensive province in Central Asia [modern-day
Baghdad] along the valley of the Tigris from the
Persian Gulf northward for some 300 miles. It was
famed for its fertility and riches. Its capital was the
city of Babylon, a great commercial center. (Ezek.
17:4; Isa. 43:14)
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Babylon was “one of the most important cities of
Mesopotamia, whose ancient name probably
meant ‘the gate of the gods’. The ancient Hebrews understood the name differently: ‘Therefore is the
name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth’ (Gen. 11:9).
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Babylon is the Greek form of the name.” In the Assyrian tablets it means “The city of the dispersion of
the tribes.” It stood on the Euphrates, about 200 miles above its junction with the Tigris, which flowed
through its midst and divided it into two almost equal parts. Under Nebuchadnezzar it became one of
the most splendid cities of the ancient world.
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The geography of Babylonia was significantly different from that of the land of Judea: Unlike Judea,
Babylonia was mainly a flat land with desert-like conditions while minimal rainfall allowed the land of
Judea to support dryland farming. In Babylon, life was mainly dependent on the water supply from the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Farming was mainly through irrigation with these two rivers as water
sources. Due to its flatness, the land suffered from poor water drainage. High temperatures cause the
fast-evaporating water to leave behind an accumulation of salts in the soils. This made farming
conditions harsher. “The exiles settled in the alluvial plain to the north, where they found an irrigation

84 Easton, M. G. (1893). In Easton’s Bible dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers.

85 Negev, A. (1990). In The Archaeological encyclopedia of the Holy Land (3rd ed.). New York: Prentice Hall Press.
86 Easton, M. G. (1893). In Easton’s Bible dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers.

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